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Alternative title

Histoire des Seigneurs de Gaures

Type of resource

mixed material

Extent

ff. 200 + 3

Date created

[ca. 1450-1499]

Language

French, Middle (ca. 1400-1600)

Material

Vellum

Layout

double columns of 30 lines

Height (mm)

360

Width (mm)

253

Collation

2 flyleaves, 1(8)-25(8), 1 flyleaf.

Writing

in clear black hand approaching lettre bâtarde

Foliation

ff. a-b + i-ii + 1-200 + iii + c-e

Research

The text was printed in 1845 at Brussels by Van Dale (Histoire des Seigneurs de Gavres, Roman du xve siècle) with introduction and illustrations, and a glossary by Emile Gachet

Summary

CCCC MS 91 contains one of only two surviving copies of the long version of the fifteenth-century French romance of Histoire des Seigneurs de Gavres (the other being in Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale MS 10238). Histoire was probably composed in Flanders in the 1450s, and the Corpus version is illustrated c. 1470-80 with a large frontispiece miniature by an anonymous Flemish artist who is known to have worked on a number of other volumes for patrons with connections to Edward IV. The artist has been named the Master of the Harley Froissart. This has led to speculation that this manuscript may have been produced for Edward IV or possibly William, Lord Hastings, c. 1475. Whoever the patron was, he was a Knight of the Garter, as evidenced by the garter surrounding the now erased blank shield on f. 1r. How the codex came into Parker's possession is unknown.

Contents

Histoire des Seigneurs de Gavres

M.R. James Date

xv, second half

Downloadable James Catalogue Record

https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:cs661dj2572/MS_91.pdf

Superseded Interim Catalogue Record

https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:kj254dm5129/91.pdf

Contains

• Histoire des Seigneurs de Gavres. 1r-200v

  James

  Histoire des Seigneurs de Gaures. 1r-200v

  Note

  The text begins

  Incipit

  (1r) Les tres haulx et courageux faiz de noz anchiens predecesseurs escripz pour exemple et memoire ala loenge diceulx

  Note

  (1r) This first page has a picture and full border of conventional and natural flowers and foliage on plain ground. In the lower margin a shield surmounted with crest and surrounded by the garter with motto. Shield and crest have been carefully erased and so has a banner in the R. margin The picture, rather rubbed, but in fine Flemish style, represents the interior of a room with wooden roof. On L. stone fire-place with fire. On R. bed in alcove: green tiled floor. Before the fire lies a nude infant. The mother, in tall headdress, sits wringing her hands on seat (along the wall). Two maids kneel on L. in consternation. In C. the Seigneur de Gaures in gown with stick, gesticulating. Two men and two women on R. in consternation Along the back wall is a settle ending on R. in a kind of desk. The wall is hung with an arras, deep red ground, gold birds in pairs, two rows of trees, on each a scroll bearing one word of the garter motto. The incident shown is the Seigneur de Gaures throwing his infant son into the fire (see f. 8r)
  The text ends

  Explicit

  (200v) Ceste histoire a este translatee de grec en latin et de latin en flamenc. Et depuis a este transmuee en langaige franchoiz le derrenier jour de mars lan mil iiic lvi. Cy fine lystoire des seigneurs de gaures

  Note

  (200v) After this an erasure, possibly only a scribbled repetition of the colophon, such as occurs on the flyleaf: Sy fine lyst

TJames

15

Stanley

B. 3

Repository

UK, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library

Location

MS 091

Use and reproduction:

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License:

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